Tottenham in crisis have no intention of stopping the purchase of players before the summer window closes and Norwegian Andreas Schjelderup is once again hyper-relevant after Manchester City’s bid of £85 million for Cody Gakpo. – Tottenham have no intention of joining a bidding round with the sky blues and are going for a cheaper alternative, an option that will not be very much cheaper after Benfica manager Marco Silva a couple of weeks ago put his foot down for sale.
Tottenham’s interest in Andreas Schjelderup is well known, he was as an alternative if they were to lose the battle for Cody Gakpo. Now it looks like that scenario will become a reality.
Read: Aston Villa with shocking bid for Manchester United star – no one saw this coming
Tottenham are struggling a lot. Despite player purchases for almost 4 billion kroner, the London club have lost both of their first two games in the Premier League. They are chasing creativity in attack – and therefore both Gakpo and Schjelderup have been on the radar, the latter as a far cheaper option.
Time is short. The transfer window in the Premier League closes on September 1.
Tottenham have already received a no – but will not give up
Tottenham made a bid for Andreas Schjelderup that didn’t exactly go down well with Benfica. Manager Marco Silva has made it crystal clear that the winger is “fundamental” to his plans – and certainly not for sale.
Spurs are desperate to avoid another season in the bottom flight, and the management has already confirmed eight new signings.
Andy Robertson, Martin Dubravka and Marcos Senesi all arrived on a free transfer, while a staggering £237 million was spent on Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke. In addition, Omar Marmoush came on loan with a forced purchase option of €70 million.
Now Tottenham are working on getting rid of more players – while still wanting two or three reinforcements in attack.
Tottenham have had a burning interest in Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, even after they secured Savinho from Manchester City for close to €100 million. But now it seems that City are winning the battle for Gakpo – and that could trigger a renewed and intensified interest in Andreas Schjelderup.
The Benfica coach has put his foot down – so far
It has previously been reported that Spurs have made a bid of 55 million euros for Schjelderup – who shone big during the World Cup for Norway. But Benfica manager Marco Silva effectively stopped it, according to A Bola.
Still, it’s starting to add up to a lot of money to say no to.
Silva, who joined from Fulham in the summer, insists that the Norwegian is a key player for the Portuguese. When asked to explain the attention around Schjelderup, he said:
“I understand why there is so much talk about Andreas. Firstly, because he has quality. Benfica have made it publicly known that they want to extend his contract and what offer he has. Once it becomes public, it is understandable that talks arise.
“Because of the quality he has, because of the last five months of last season and because of the outstanding World Cup effort… I think I’ve already answered whether he’s fundamental to me or not.
Silva also described Schjelderup’s importance to the team’s style of play:
“The way we want to play, wingers are absolutely crucial. He has very specific abilities to break down low-lying defensive blocks and is able to do something different against teams that defend well.
“We will face a lot of teams like that in the Portuguese league. Andreas is a player I believe in a lot – and he is different.
When asked if Schjelderup’s mentality has changed because of the transfer rumours, Silva replied:
“He has worked very well, he is fully committed and is a great guy – always happy in everyday life. I only have positive things to say about him.
“Our goal is to get the best out of him and help him get better every day so he can help the team. I’m sure he will.
Spurs increase bid at the last minute
The latest from the Tottenham camp is that the club is willing to increase the bid to 60 million euros in the hours remaining of the summer window. That is a whopping 20 million more than what Transfermarkt thinks Schjelderup is worth.
The question is whether Benfica will be able to resist when the money really starts to pile up.
Read on F7: Lillestrøm and Bodø/Glimt do not agree, but Lars Ranger can wait until New Year’s Eve and leave for free
